Anndallei

Honestly, I did not feel anything! She said, "you may feel a prick" but...no pain, nothing! I don't know if this is the norm, I certainly was pleased that it was so easy and painless!! The most difficult part was having to hold my legs up a few inches for 5 seconds in order for her to locate the port!!!!!

After reading some of the fill descriptions, I was a tad bit worried too...I was so relieved that I was able to breeze right through it with no ill effects what-so-ever! Whoo hoo...this is getting better all the time! Although I haven't noticed much difference in my looks, I had two male relatives tell me how they could see I'm losing weight because my clothes are so baggy! (I took it as a compliment!) I just bought 2X K-Mart pants instead of my 3X K-Mart pants but even though smaller, they are baggy on me! That's cool...means my thunder thighs are finally doing some slimming down!

My first fill is on Tuesday, October 25th...I'll keep you posted on how it goes. I can sometimes eat quite a lot (especially mushies) and other times I get "stuck" after a few bites. I did a real no, no the other night...I ate a roll and it darn near killed me! Was really bad!!! I had to run out of the restaurant I was in so I wouldn't throw up in front of everybody! My poor friend thought she was going to have to call 911! I didn't pb, just slimed but it felt awful. It was a very scary experience for me...by far the worst episode I've had so far. For the most part, I do pretty well. It's eating too fast or eating the wrong thing. Sometimes you have to just try certain foods to see if they will work. Now I know, bread is a big NO for me! Interestingly enough, I can eat popcorn without a problem! Every day is a new challenge...but I'm loving it!

I am a little over a month post-op now. I'm trying to wean myself from eating mostly mushies to eating regular food. I do eat some regular food like chicken (it's gotta' be soft though.) I've eaten all kinds of fish with cream cheese or cottage cheese added and that works well. Last night I had some smoked fish (which was soft but requires more chewing than mushies) but didn't mix it with anything...and it darn near killed me!!!!!! OMG I was in pain! Felt like a heart attack! I've had very small versions of this that went away quickly but this pain/spasms went on for about 15 minutes. I didn't pb, but sure as heck tried!!!! Boy did that scare me! Now I'm paranoid as heck about eating regular food....I know I have to eat it, but I'm a tad bit wary so I'll be selective. I sure as heck don't like being in pain like that!!!!! Anybody else running into this? pam

Pic 1 - Taken three days after surgery on 9-13-05 Pic 2 - Post-op taken 10-14-05

My BMI was 64. Since banding 9/13/05, it's currently 58.8

That baby (Sachi) is too cute! Don't cha' just want to plant a great big kiss on her nose? Ok, so I'm a little weird...but ya' gotta admit...she's a real cutie!!!! And I love her hair color..it's so in!!!!!

Hey Washingtonians! About an update? How is everybody doing? Many of you recently had surgery, how is it going? I'm still losing fast which is great as I expect it will slow down at some point. actually kinda' have a waistline now! Have a good one all!

1. What is your name? Pamela 2. What color shirt are you wearing? Black gown 3. What are you listening to right now? DVD - "Cream" Reunion w/ Eric Clapton 4. What was the last thing you ate? sf Jello 5. Do you wish on stars? Yes in deed! 6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Purple 7. How is the weather right now? 61 degrees and cloudy 8. Last person you spoke to on the phone? DH 9. Favorite Sport? Drag racing! 10. Favorite drink? Plain iced tea 11. hair color? Red/Blonde 12. Eye color? Blue 13. Siblings? 2 sisters, 1 brother 14. Favorite month? December (holidays!) 15. Favorite food? I like most everything! 16. What was the last movie you saw? 500 Nations 17. Favorite day of the year! Christmas eve 18. What do you do to vent anger? Play rock music real loud, play on the computer! 19. What was your favorite toy as a child? Paper dolls and Barbie 20. Summer or winter? Summer 21. Hugs or Kisses? Both 22. Favorite ice cream flavor? Anything with caramel 23. Restaurants or home cooking? I like eating out so I'll go for that. 24. Will everyone care enough to respond? Most certainly! 25. When was the last time you cried? That I can remember, when my mom died 26. What is under your bed? My silver set, storage box 27. How long have you been a member of Lapband Talk? August 2005, I think 28. What did you do last night? Babysat my 7 mo. old great-granddaughter. 29. What are you afraid of? Spiders! Eek!!!!!! 30. Favorite car? Acura MDX 31. Favorite flower? Gardenia 32. How many keys on your ring? 6 33. How long have you been at your current job? 15 years 7 months! 34. Favorite day of the week? Friday 35. What did you do on your birthday? Helped at a fundraiser, DH took me to buy a new digital camera, had dinner at home with my family 36. How many states have you lived in? 3 - Oregon, Alaska, Washington State 37.How many cities/towns have you lived in? 6 38. What is your favorite form of exercise? Swimming 39.Your favorite store for bargains? Online shopping with free shipping, Amazon is my favorite! 40. Wasn't this fun? Yes in deedy! 41. Do you have children? Yes, 1 daughter and 2 sons 42. Where's your favorite vacation spot? Any place that has lots of sun!! Arizona, South-Eastern Oregon, Eastern Washington If you have any questions you'd like to add, go right ahead.

That is so funny Jack, I'm still laughing because it totally sounds like me!!! Thanks for bringing a little humor into my life today!

I'm the same way. Although I can eat more then a cup (slowly) at a times I'm mostly still eating mushies. I only eat three times a day and probably get about 1000 calories in by balancing my mushed tuna/chicken and veggies. I'm still losing fairly quickly (27 pounds since Sept 6th.) so the amounts are working for me. Sometimes I can eat very little, especially if I try a chicken breast. Even when I chew it to a pulp, sometimes it causes a VERY uncomfortable feeling so I back off real quick! Pain or pb-ing (which I have not done yet, but came close) is a good deterrent for me! I'm never really starved so my restriction must be good. It amazes that some people can only eat a few bites...I can easily eat a cup and a half (max) of mushies in a half hour. Is that normal? I don't waste my calories on junk food...don't even really have the desire for it...which I find amazing! I loved fast foods!!!! pam

My doctor said there are three sizes (small, medium, large) and with most all of his patients, he uses the medium. He also said the Inamed band costs him close to $4,000 ea. (We were discussing the possibility of Medicare eventually allowing payment for LapBand surgery.) He said the small amount Medicare would pay would only cover the cost of the band (that's how we got to talking about the price of the band.) I have a friend who's waiting for Medicare to cover her surgery...not good news for her.

We got a second mortgage on our house (for the $17,000 cost). Figure if we can buy a car, tv and all that kinda' stuff we could sure as heck pay for something that will improve the quality of my life ...or very welll even save my life! The monthly payments are worth it...I look at it just like every other bill we have to pay... Of course it means I'll have to work until 65 or 70 and we'll have less for our retirement but what good would retirement do me if I'm not alive to enjoy it!!??

Help!! I've come down with a cold and a painful sore throat. I usually take Alka Seltzer Plus Nose and Throat because it works well for me. Can I still take it or will it fizz in my pouch and cause problems? Any suggestions appreciated?

I agree...reading other peoples scary experiences scares me enough to make me think twice about what or how much I eat. I had one close call (near PB) but luckily it went away after a few minutes. Even though I had more food ready to eat, I put it away. I didn't like the feeling at all!!! I'm early in the process and have a long way to go. I'm a little worried about eating solid foods when the time comes. Reading others experiences really gives me a better perspective about what may happen and what to watch out for.<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

I was carrying my 21 pound, 6 month old great-granddaughter around (who lives with us) the day after surgery and I had no problem (carried her on my hip). But as they say, each person is different. You have to go with what you feel is right for you. Also, I had three vertical cut C-sections...maaaaaaany years ago and this procedure was by far easier then they were. With my sections, it took me a good two to three weeks to fully recover each time. I'm 9 days out, pain free and almost completely back to normal. Plus, I sure ain't hungry!!!! What a great feeling!!!!

I had the out-patient. My surgery was at 7:30 am and I was out the door heading home by 11:00 am! I had general anesthsia and my recovery with it was quite short. I felt a little groggy going home but slept it off once I was able to hit the bed! When I woke up, three hours later, i was a little sore but overall felt pretty darn good!

Keri and Cat...wishing you good thoughts...you will do great, you'll see!!!! Yep! the gas is bothersome but it eventually goes away. Luckily I wasn't plagued by it too terrible bad...but let me tell you, I can pass gas pretty darn effectively by burping loud (often at inappropriate times) and farting huge amounts of air for what seems like an eternity. Now isn't that a pretty picture?!

Wow! Thank you...this information was very helpful!

Best wishes for a speedy recovery. You will be so glad you did this...every day I marvel at how much better I feel and how much easier it is for me to get around...and it's only been nine days since I had my surgery!

Count me in! Wow! 135 lost...boy does that give me hope!!!! Awesome!!

I was banded on 9-13-05 and went back to work fulltime plus 9-18-05 and I'm no spring chicken at 56 years old! I was truly amazed the recovery was so fast for me!! I also do mostly computer work but often do trainings/meetings out in the community. I've had no problems other then a little fatigue after a long day (I generally work 10-15 hours a day.) One of my incisions was just above my bra line between my breasts. It has not bothered me a bit. I'm a double D cup so there's plenty hanging around that could have been a bother!!! I was up and walking an hour after I woke up from recovery...was a little unsteady on my feet but got better pretty quickly. My DH and I had to drive an hour to get home...I still felt awfully groggy so just wanted to get there and sleep it off. Once home I slept three hours and finally woke up with a pretty clear head. That in itself made me feel a whole lot better. I hate the effects of anesthesia. You'll do great....I have never been so sure about this procedure...it is a life saver. Good luck and happy recovery everyone! pam

I worked a 12 hour day yesterday but thankfully mostly had to sit or stand. I notice when I hunch over when sitting it makes me pretty uncomfortable. Squishing my new little tummy I guess. Makes one want to sit up straight more which is not a bad thing I guess! I was tired by the end of the day, but tolerated it better then yesterday. Overall, I feel pretty darn great! Isn't it amazing how fast we're losing? I know we won't keep this pace forever and that's all right with me. If I lose too fast, I'll have way too much loose skin hanging from every direction! I want to get some substantial exercise in to help with that but have to wait another couple of weeks before the doc will ok it. I have to take six medications (9 pills) a day...I split them taking half in the morning and half at night. Each time I take them it's like having a meal...I'm way full. I chop them down as small as I can but they still sit in my gut for a long time making me feel almost too full. How do others handle this? I can't stand the taste of pills (even mixing with food) so mashing is not an option for me. I'm hoping to be able to get off of them once I lose enough weight but that's down the road a ways. My scars are healing way better then I thought they would. I have very fair skin which tends to make scars stand out more. Luckily these are so small (except the port scar which in my case is about 2 inches long...but hey! much smaller then my c-section(s) vertical scar!!! Yikes gotta' run...gonna' be late for work!!! Have an awesome day all... pam

Macabella and all, I put in a nine hour work day and needless to say I was pretty darn tired. I don't do a lot of physical labor (had to make 25 manuals for a training I'm doing all this week) but felt a lot of pressure on my "gut" from reaching and leaning over a table for so long. Once I got home and rested a bit, I felt pretty good. I used to be a late late owl and you had to drag me out of bed in the morning but post surgery, I'm in bed by ten and up at six! A whole new world for me!!! I'm really struggling with eating and drinking enough right now. I'm getting about 500 calories a day down....I'm just never really hungry. By the time I take my normal medications (twice a day) and my Vitamins, I feel like I've had a meal. Even though I cut them up really small, they just sit in my gut and give me the feeling that I'm really full. I still sneak a bite or two of baby food when I feed my GGD but I'm mostly sticking with Soup, yogurt smoothies, Propel, fruit-2-0, Jello and some juice occassionally....oh, and my leftover Optifast. I love my coffee in the morning, but can only get about two ounces down before I'm too full to drink any more. That's okay though as I don't really need it. That's the way I feel about most food...just don't miss it! Boy have I waited for this day!!!! Luckily, I've had very little problems with gas (at least being painful) I had the shoulder pain for about a day but it went away pretty quickly. I hardly feel my scars (they are getting a little itchy now) only once in awhile if I bend too quickly my port tugs on the muscle and that smarts a little. I sleep very comfortably now in any position I want. Does not seem to bother me at all. I'm down to 317.5 which makes a total of 20.5 pounds lost since pre-surgery 9-2-05. It's amazing how just losing 20 pounds makes it so much easier for me to get around! I'm liking this!!!! We just have to give ourselves time. We all heal and lose differently. The main thing though, we made an excellent decision to make an extraordinary change in our lives...go slow, give it time and we will see the rewards. Have a good one... pam

September 13th and feeling fabulous already!!!